Refrigerating system



Oct. 26, 1943. w. 0. JORDAN ETAL REFRIGERATING SYSTEM Filed Feb. 20.1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2/2 a Jan! m. BY .3141 0- )5 Win,

Paten tedTOct. 26, 1943 Vliet, Galesburg, IlL, assignors to- The LiquidCarbonic Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of DelawareApplication February 20, 1941, Serial No. 379,740

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in refrigerators andrefrigerator systems, particulariy of the type wherein mechanicalrefrigeration is provided for maintaining the storage compartments cold.

More specifically, the invention relates to that type of refrigeratorswherein there are provided a plurality of storage compartments fromwhich the contents of the compartments are adapted to be removed throughthe top.

In this type of refrigerators, particularly electric motor, I anddelivering to alcondenser 8, is arranged in a compartment within thecasing I.

Each of the sleeves 2, 3 and l isof substantially the same constructionand comprises an inner tank In of full sleeve dimensions, to which ishermetically sealed'on the four sides thereof an where the storagecompartments are comparatively deep, there is diiliculty in maintainingan I even temperature throughout the height of the compartments and,furthermore, where a plurality of storage compartments are provided,there has been difliculty in maintaining the temperature of all of thecompartments substantially equal.

Other objects and advantages of our invention outer sheet II in whichchannels or corrugations l2 have been formed. In the construction ofvthe complete sleeve, there is provided a single sheet of material ofsuch dimensions as; to, when formed up, provide the four sides of thetank or sleeve. Hermetically sealed on the outer surface. of this sheetis a second sheet having formed therein suitable corrugations orchannels which provide refrigerant passages between the inner and outersheets. The laminated structure thus provided is then bent intorectangular form with will appear'more fully hereinafter in the appendedspecification and claims.

For the purpose of disclosing our invention, we have illustrated anembodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, in which:v

Fig. 1 is an elevation, more or less diagram-v matic, with the cabinetin section, of a refrigerator embodying our invention;

Fig. 2 is a side'elevation of one of the refrigerating compartments orsleeves;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same, looking at the opposite side;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation;

' Fig. 5 is a detail view showing a connection from the one set of coilsto the other;

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view-of one of the sleeves;

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view of one of the arrangement of thecoils; and

Fig. -11 is a diagrammatic view of another circuit arrangement.

In the'embodiment illustrated, the refrigerator comprises an enclosingcabinet I in which are arranged a plurality of sleeves or storagecompartments 2, 3 and 4 and preferably half length sleeve, 5 whichdelivers to a sump or low side accumulator 5a. The usualrefrigeratingmechanism, including a compressor 6, driven by an itsadjacent edges secured to ether, preferably by welding or the like, andthe bottomis formed by welding a bottom sheet within the sleeve.Preferably, the outer sheet is secured and sealed to the inner, sheet bywelding between the corrugations or other suitable means.

-In the formation of the sleeve from the laminatedsheet, as above,difficulty has been experienced with the flattening of the corrugationsl2 at the point where the corner bends aremade and, as a result,restrictions are apt to be formed in the channels. To overcome thisdifliculty, when the' laminated sheets are made, the corrugations at thepoint where the bends are to take place, are slightly enlarged, as at I3, and within these enlarged portions, 'U shapcd channels M are insertedwith the bight of the U outwardly. To prevent displacement thechannelsmay be welded in position. By this arrangement, when the laminated sheetis bent to form the completed-sleeve, the corrugated portion at the bendis reenforced to such an extent that it s will not flatten down and thearea of the channel is maintained substantially constant throughout.

Each of the sleeves 2, 3 and 4, is provided with two sets ofcorrugations or passageways, one at the top portion of the sleeve andone at the bottom portion of the sleeve. These two sets of corrugationsare separate and distinct so that the refrigerant does not pass directlyfrom one set into the other.

In the arrangement illustrated, the sleeves are so arranged that therefrigerant passing from the condensing unit 8 initially enters thelower coil or set of corrugations of the sleeve 2; The refrigerantenters the coil at the top, passing downwardly through the coil, andemerges from the bottom corrugation of the coil into the conduit l5.

This conduit is connected with the top of the lower coil of sleeve 3 andthe refrigerant passes into the top of the lower coil, thence downwardlythrough the coil and out of the bottom into the conduit l6 which, itwill be noted, is connected to the top of the lower coil of sleeve 4.After passage through the lower coil of sleeve 4, the refrigerant, byconduit I I passes into the top of the upper coil of sleeve 4 passingthrough this coil into conduit l8 and thence into the top and out of thebottom of this sleeve, the refrigerant eventually being delivered byconduit l9 to the top of sleeve and thence back to the compressor in theusual manner.

By using a split circuit, as above, substantial advantage is gained inthe evenness of temperature from the top to the bottom of the sleevesand from end to end in the cabinet whereas without this split circuit arelatively wide variation of temperature occurs, with maximumtemperature at the top of each sleeve.

In addition to the provision of the "split circuit of refrigerator tubesor coils, as above described, we provide means for building up aresistance to the refrigerant flow in the upper coils. One way thisresistance may be provided is the arrangement within the conduit ll of arestriction which may consist of a bushing 20 having a restrictedopening 2| therein. As a result of the insertion of such a restriction,the average gas pressure in the lower coils is substantially higher thanthe average gas pressure in the upper coils, resulting in thetemperature differences desired to hold the top and bottom temperaturessubstantially equal.

By this provision of the restriction, as above 'described, we areenabled to get the same temperature effect, irrespective of the numberof storage compartments or sleeves or, in other words, we are enabled toget the same temperature effect in short and long cabinets. Over-allpressure drop varies with the number of sleeves but, by the use of therestrictor or restrictedpassage, which is properly proportioned inaccordance with the number of sleeves, the differential between toprefrigerant temperature and bottom refrigerant temperature may be heldthe same for small or large cabinets. In other words, we are enabled tomaintain a temperature diiferential between the lower sets of coils andthe upper sets of coils, suitable for requirements, by the simpleexpedient of providing a small bushing with a properly selected orificetherein.

If desired to obtain a colder temperature in, say, the sleeve 5, such arestrictor a is illustrated in Fig. 9, may be inserted between the topcoil of sleeve 2 and the coil 5. By this arrangement, a greater pressuredrop maybe obtained between the coil 5 and the remaining coils and,consequently, a lower temperature maintained in the sleeve 5.

While the provision of the restrictor illustrated in Fig. 9 is thesimplest expedient for accomplishing the results sought, it is obviousthat the same results may be obtained by'modiflcation thereof such, forinstance, as that of reducing the area of the tubes or corrugations inthe upper sleeves as compared to the area of the tubes or corrugationsin the lower sleeve. However, such an arrangement, of course, whilepermissible and possible, is not as commercially practical as thearrangement illustrated, namely, that of providing a restrictor bushing,as heretofore described.

We claim as our invention:

1. A combined storage receptacle and evaporator for refrigeratorscomprising a substantially rectangular inner sleeve having a closedbottom and an outer sleeve having channels or corrugations formedtherein extending horizontally thereof and inter-connected to providerefrigerant passages between the outer and inner sleeves,- said outersleeve having a gas-tight Junction with the inner sleeve between andoutside of said corrugations and hollow reenforcing members arranged insaid corrugations between the inner and outer sleeves at the bend pointsof said sleeves- 2. A combined storage receptacle and evaporator forrefrigerators comprising a substantially rectangular inner sleeve havinga closed bottom and an outer sleeve having channels or corrugationsformed therein extending horizontally thereof and inter-connected toprovide continuous passages between the inner and outer sleeves, saidouter sleeve having a gas-tight junction with the inner sleeve betweenand outside of said corrugations, and U-shaped bridge members mounted insaid corrugations between the inner and outer sleeves and at the bendpoints of the outer sleeve.

3. A combined storage receptacle and evaporator for refrigeratorscomprising a substantially rectangular inner sleeve having a closedbottom and an outer sleeve having channels or corrugations formedtherein extending horizontally thereof and inter-connected to providecontinuous refrigerant passages between the inner and outer sleeves, andmeans having a passageway 'tor for refrigerators comprising asubstantially rectangular inner sleeve having a closed bottom and anouter sleeve having channels or corrugations formed therein extendinghorizontally thereof and inter-connected to provide continuousrefrigerant passages between the inner and outer sleeves, means forreenforcing said corrugations at the bend points of the outer sleeve toprevent the collapse thereof, and means for making a gas-tight junctionbetween the outer and inner sleeves between the corrugations.

5. A combined storage receptacle and evaporator for refrigeratorscomprising a substantially rectangular inner sleeve having a closedbottom and an outer sleeve having channels or corrugations formedtherein extending horizontally thereof and inter-connected to providecontinuous refrigerant passages between the inner and outer sleeves,said corrugations being enlarged at the bend points of the outer sleeve,reenforcing means disposed in said enlarged portions for preventingcollapse ofthe corrugations at the bend points, and means forming agas-tight junction between the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve.

6. A combined storage receptacle and evaporator for refrigeratorscomprising a substantially rectangular inner sleeve having a closedbottom and an outer sleeve having channels or corrugations formedtherein substantially horizontally thereof and inter-connected toprovide continuous refrigerant passages between the inner and outersleeves, said outer sleeve having a gas-tight joint with the innersleeve between said corruprevent collapse of the corrugations at thebend points.

7. A refrigerant system comprising in combination a condensing unit, aplurality of evaporators arranged to define a plurality of spaces to becooled, each evaporator comprising an upper and lower coil, theconnection between successive coils of the evaporators and theconnections or said coils to the condensing unit being such as to causethe refrigerant to pass from the condenser through the lower coils ofthe evaporators in series and then through the upper coils of theevaporators in series in reverse order prior to its return to thecondenser, and means for providing a pressure difierential of therefrigerant between the series of lower coils and the series of uppercoils.

8. A refrigerating system comprising in combination a condensing unit, aplurality of evaporators arranged to define a plurality of spaces in becooled, each comprising an upper and a lower coil, the connectionbetween said coils and successive coils of the evaporators and theconnections of the coils to the condensing unit being bination, acondensing unit, a plurality of evaporators arranged to define aplurality of spaces to be cooled, each comprising an upper and a lowercoil, the connections between the successive coils of the evaporator-sand the connections of said coils to the condensing unit being such asto cause a refrigerant to pass through the lower coils of theevaporators in series and then through the upper'coils of theevaporators in series prior to its return to the condenser, and meansfor restricting the passage of refrigerant through the upper coils tothereby provide a lower average refrigerant pressure in the upper seriesthan in the lower series of coils.

' WAYNE D. JORDAN.

PAUL D. VAN VIIET.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No.2, 55,o12'. October 26, 191+ WAYNE D. JORDAN, E'1' AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof'the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 3,first column, line 22, claim 8, for the words and syllable, "coil, theconnection between said coils and suc-" read coil, theconne-ctionbetween sucg and that the said Letters Patent should be readwith this correction therein that the same may conform to the record ofthe case in the Patent Office.

Signed and. sealed this 114th day of December, A. D. 19115.

Henry Van Arsdale (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

